Wow. That's pathetic. Not that I'd necessarily vote for Stephen Colbert (although I live in Minnesota and was once governed by Jesse "The Body" Ventura), this makes me wonder if it really matters who's elected. We may as well have a comedian running around pushing everyone else's buttons.

That in a nutshell is why I DON'T TRUST THE U.S. GOVERNMENT. I hadn't seen that video before but it just confirms what I already suspected. Sick. Just sick. Also, I love that woman's excuses "no breaks for dinner" "no bathroom breaks." HOW does that relate at all to spinning around in your chair and casting multiple votes??? In closing, GRAAAAAAAAARRRRGGGGGGGG.

While I'm no apologist for the Texas Lege, and as big of an Austin Tree-Huggin' Pinko as you'd wanna see, I just wanted to suggest we all hold our outrage in check a bit here. Getting all worked up over a news piece taken out of context does not help us get ready to cry "wolf" at the real wolves.

This bit was on metafilter a while ago. What I said there was more or less:

1.This goes on a lot and really has more to with speeding the process along than anything nefarious. One piece of legislation may literally be voted on dozens of times as it moves through the process. There are three readings in each chamber, votes on amendments, votes on rules of debate, etc., etc. With 150 House members, all with "day jobs," cigarettes to smoke, lobbyists to schmooze, and potty breaks to take, it is a struggle to move this process along and members routinely have agreements to vote for each other.

2. There really are no breaks for dinner or bathroom in the waning days of the session. Do YOU regularly stay at your desk for 16 hours without a snack or a tinkle? Think about it.

3. The fact that it happens all the time, though, doesn't make it OK.

4. Regardless, Debbie Riddle deserves as much media coverage as possible until she hoists herself on her own pitard.

5. This isn't gonna get any better until the people of Texas demand better. We have no one to blame but ourselves, folks.